Furnace-hopper



W. LLOYD.

FURNCE HOPPER. l APPLICATION FILED FEB.26.1918.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921 W. LLOYDt FURNACE HOPPEH.

APPLICAHON min FEB. 25, 1918.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHED 2.

QUE

rfw' Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. LLOYD.

FURNACE HOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, ma.' 1,396,715.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

WILLIAM LLOYD, 0F HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 COXE TRAVELING GRATE COMPANY, OF PORT CARBON, PENNSYLVANIA, CORPORATION 0F PENN- SYLVAN IA.

IURNACE-HOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentgd NOV. 8, 1921.

Application filed February 26, 1918. Serial No. 219,255.

T o all w hom. it may concern Be it known that I, WTLLIAM LLOYD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State A of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Hoppers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a furnace hopper and particularly to a hopper for a furnace of the automatic Stoker type, thepobject of front elevation and broken plan of the hop- Per;

Fig. 3A is a section through one end of the feed plate. showing the sealing bar;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of the hopper side frame;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same with certain other parts;

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the same; and

Fig. ,8 is a front elevation of the poke hole plug.

In its main resembles that shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 212,131, and is designed for use with a traveling grate of the well known Coxe type. In furnaces of the latter type, the fuel bed is carried by a traveling grate 10 which moves gradually from the feed or hopper end of the furnace to the discharge end of the fire chamber 11, formed by the furnace arch 12, and is supported by side chains 13 traveling over sprocket wheels 14 at the opposite ends of the grate.

The present hopper comprises a pair of standards 1.5--16 at opposite sides thereof l and a fixed guide plate 17 supported at its lower portion by a transverse angle iron 18 extending between the standards 156-16,

' and at its upper portion, by bolts 19 passfeatures, the present hopper.`

'renewed in case o f injury thereto.

ing therethrough and through mar inal flanges 20 of the standards, as well as` y a top an le iron 2l riveted to they outwardly extending bay 22 of the standards. The front wall of the hopper is formed by the end face 23 of the furnace arch. Formed in downward extension ofthe guide plate 17 is an independent feed plate 24, pivoted on trunnions 25 at the lower forward margins of the standards 15 and 16 and provided with a lever handle 26 by which it may be lifted or lowered. Studs 27 form stops upon which the feed plate rests in lowered position, and it will be observed that when the feed plate is thus lowered. an opening to the fire chamber is afforded through which the at 1endant may slice or rake the fire as may be necessary. The feed' plate is held up by a yoke 28 pivoted at 29 to the` lower portion of the guide plate 17, and provided with a screw 3() which bears against a vlug 31 mounted on the upper edge of the feed plate and enter- I ing between the legs of the yoke`28.

In order to protect the feed plate against heat injury, its lower`portion is offset at 32 and protected by a series of cast .iron igniting or firing plates 33 which form a downward continuation of the upper portion of the feed plate 24. The igniting or firing lates are secured to the offset web 32 -of diie feed plate by bolts 34, the heads of which are seated against the bottoms of depressed thimbles While a single igniting or firing plate which extends the entire width ofthe feed plate could, of course, be used, I prefer a series of independent plates 33 which maybe separately Some of the bolt holes 36 -for these 'plates vare shown in Fig. 3. On theinner faces of the firing plates are fins or webs 37 which rest, at intervals, upon .the bearing.\38 for the feed plate and thus space the faces of the\ firing plates from the offset lower reach 32l of the feed plate. rIhe offsetting web 39 which connects the lower reach 32 of the feed plate with the upper portion thereof is perforated at 40-to afford outlets for an air current passing upward through the chamber 41 thus formed between the feed.

late 24 and the firing plates 33. It will he noted that the lower margin of the bearing 38 is spaced above the top of the. grate 10, so that air may enter the chamber 41 at this point and pass upward in contact lfeed plate than the solid fire bricks heretofore used for such purpose. Of course, the offset lower reach 32 of the feed plate could be made in skeleton form, but a better air circulation isl secured by forming a chamber 41 with bottom inlet and top outlet for the cooling air, as shown.

A further feature with respect to the feed plate should be noted. A certain clearance must be afforded between the ends of the plate and the side standards in order to permit the plate to swing on its pivots. Through this clearance an undesirable air leakage takes place. ATo revent this, a V-shaped recess is cast in t e outer face of each end fiange 24a and a triangular sealing bar 24h laid freely therei'n. When the feed plate 1s in position between the standards 15-..16, the sealing bars slide outward under their own weight against the inner faces of the standards and form seals therewith which prevent the air from creepingthrough the fuel 1n the hopper.

In order to ha'lt the supply of fuel to the grate, I provide a cut-off gate 42, carried by segmental arms 43 pivoted on trunnions 44 at the outer upper margin vof the extensions 22 of the side standards 15 and 16 respectively. In order to lift or lower the gate 42, I hinge thereto at 45 the long arm of a curved toggle link 46, the short arm of which is jointed at 47 to the other link l48 of the toggle which is fast on the transverse shaft 49. An operating lever 50, preferably integral with the link`48, is provided to operate the cut-off gate, and one is provided at each end of the transverse shaft 49 so that the gate may be operated from either end by the attendant. It will be noted that in the raised or open position of the gate 42, the joint 42 between the toggle arms is overcenter with respect to the Shal'1149 and that the gate is thus automatically held in open position.

The regulating gate 51 lies against the end wall of the furnace-.arch and is of the same 'general construction as that described in my application above referred to. It is hung from bars 52 which carry at their upper ends, racks 53, the backs ofwhich bear against anti-friction rollers 54, while the .teeth thereof mesh with pinions 55 on the' transverse` shafts 56. Worm wheels 57 at the opposite ends of the shafts mesh with worms 58 on spindlesl 59 journaled in bear-l ings 60-61 on the standards 15--16, and provided at their outer ends with hand wheels 62-63. This arrangement permits the lower edge of the gate to be set with exactitude in parallelism with the to of the grate and thus insures an absolute y even depth of the fuel bed at each side of the grate. This is a feature of considerable practical importance in .the efficient operation of the furnace.

The face of the grate toward the fire box is protected by fire brick as in my previous construction; but instead of a single row of bricks, I now provide two rowsa lower 51 and an upper 51". This has the advantage of not only providing a longer air sealing contact between the gate and the furnace arch, but also lessening renewal expense. since the upper portion of row 51" is )ractic-ally1 free from exposure and injury, wliereas the lower portion or row 51il is subject both to heat injury from its exposure to the fire box and to mechanical injury from the drag of the fuel against its lower edge. To renew a brick in the lower row, it is only necessary to remove the superposed brick in the upper row and dro in the new brick, which is heldin place 1n the manner indicated in my prior patent No. 1,340,549 of May 18, 1920.

In order to protect the side frames 15-16 of the hopper from the intense heat of the fire chamber, I form each side frame with a recess at the lower inner margin thereof, and have fitted therein a fire brick 64, which may be carried and held in position by a plate 65 bolted at 66 to the standards 15-16.

he arrangement of these bolts is such that the late 65 may be readily removed and the bric 64 thus replaced in case of in'ury thereto. It is found that the location of the fire brick at this point not only protects the side frames, but alsor assists in the ignition of -the fuel bed at the side wallsadjacent the hopper, since the thin wall of the side standard, as ordinarily constructed, cools the fuel bed at this point and retards ignition.

In the operation of the furnace` clinkers are apt to form along the side walls of the fuel bed and becomeattached to the furnace wall. IVhile these can be knocked off when the feed plate is lowered, it is often undesirable to interrupt the operation of the furnace to the extent unavoidably incident to the lowering of the feed plate. To afford access for the removal of these clinkers vided at each end thereof a stationary box 67, attached to the side frames by bolts 68 and having its front face 69 on an incline approximating that normally assumed by the feed plate when the latter is in its up position. Through this box, a passageway or poke hole 70 is formed to permit the insertion of a bar to knock the clinkers from the Sides of the furnace. This poke hole is normall closed b a lug 7l provided with a handle 72 t0 acilltate its insertion or rewithout dropping the feed plate, I have promoval. Inasmuch as the box 67 is open at the rear, it is air-cooled and is not subject to heat injury. Furthermore, it is in large part covered by the unignited fuel from the hopper. In case 1t should. be injured, it is readily replaced without serious incon venience or expense.

The construction of the poke hole 'box as an independent fixed element is, of course, optional, since a poke hole might be formed in the end of the feed plate. This requires an air end firing plate of special construction, however, and 1s less desirable for this reason.

The fuel used in grates of the Coxe type is ordinarily very fine and is apt to bridge across the hopper and interrupt the feed. In order to aHord access to the interior of the hopper from the sides, I provide apertures 73 in the standards 15-16, through which a poke rod may be inserted to break down the bridge. An outside cup 74 is cast to each side frame, and the fuel lodging therein forms a seal against further escape thereof at this point.

Various modifications in details of construction will readily occur to those skilled in the art, which do not depart from my in vention.

I claim: A

1. In a furnace hopper, a feed plate downwardly inclined toward the furnace grate, and an air cooled protective igniting plate overlying the lower portion of the feed late in the region of the grate.

2. n a furnace hopper, a feed plate downwardly inclined toward the furnace grate, and an air cooled protective igniting plate detachably connected thereto and overlying the lower portion of the feed plate in the region of the grate.

3. In a furnace hopper, a feed plate downwardly inclined toward the furnace grate, and a series of laterally juxtaposed air cooled protective igniting plates overlying the lower portion of the feed plate in the region of the grate.

4. Ina furnace hopper, a feed plate `downwardly inclined toward the furnace grate, and a series of laterally juxtaposed air cooled protective igniting plates overlying the lower portion of the feed plate in the region of the grate and detachably connected independently thereto.

5. In a furnace hopper, a feed plate downwardly inclined toward the furnace grate, and an air cooled protective igniting plate overl ing the lower portion of the feed plate 1n the region of thegrate, and provided on`-its air exposed face with heat radiating fins.

6. In a furnace hopper, a feed plate downwardly inclined toward the furnace grate, and an air cooled protective igniting plate overlying the lower portion of the thimble depressed from its fuel-supportingl face, the bottom of said thimble being perforated to permit the passage of a securing bolt therethrough.

8. In a hopper, a firing plate having on' its outer face a radiating iin for air cooling, and a thimble depressed from its fuel-supporting face, the bottom of said thimble being perforated to permit the passage of a securing bolt therethrough.

9. In a hopper, a feed plate having its lower portion outwardly offset from its u pper portion, and an independent protect1ve irlng plate secured to said lower portion and spaced therefrom forl air cooling.

l0. In a hopper, a feed plate having its lower portion outwardly offset from its u pper portion. and an independent protect1ve firing plate secured to said lower portion and spaced therefrom for air cooling, the offset web of said feed plate being perforated to permit the passage of cooling air therethrough.

11. In a hopper, a feed plate, standards at each end thereof between which said feed plate moves, and means for sealing the clearance space between said plate and lstandards Ato prevent air ,leakage at this point.

12. In a hopfper, a movable feed plate with end members, xed standards facing the opposlte ends of said feed late, and a sealing bar freely carried by said end members of the feed plate and bearing against said standards to form a seal against air leakage at this point. Y

13. In a hopper, a fixed guide plate, a feed plate forming a downward extension thereof in feeding position, said feed plate being pivoted at its lower portion to permit the upper portion thereof to be swung downward, a pivoted yoke carried by one of said plates and a coperating stud carried by the other late and adapted to enter between the legs o the yoke, together with a securing screw carried by the yoke and engaging said stud to hold said plate up in feed position.

14. A hopper, having an inclined outer wall, a pivoted cut off gate adapted to rest against the inner face thereof in closing position, an operatinglever ivoted at the inner side of the hopper and) at a point above the level of the axls of the cut off gate, a crank arm operated by the lever and a toggle link connecting said crank arm and cut off gate, and serving to suspend the gate in open position, the joint between the crank arm and toggle link lying over center with relation to the axis of the crank in the open gate position.

15. In a construction such as specified in claim 14, a toggle link bell-cranked to permit its joint with the crank arm to pass over center with relation to the axis of the operating lever in the open gate position.

.16. In a hopper, a regulating gate for varying the depth of the fuel bed admit-ted to the rate, vertically arranged rack bars suspenc ing'the said regulating gate, horizontally arranged spindles extending from 0pposite ends of the hopper side walls, pinions thereon meshing with the rack bars, worm wheels on said spindles, andhand operated worms for driving said worm wheels independently whereby t-he regulating gate may not only be lifted and lowered, but its opposite ends independently adjusted vertically to insure alinement between the lower edge of the regulating gate and the surface ofl the grate. i

17. In a hopper, a side standard recessed adjacent the fire box and a fire brick filling said recess to protect the standard against heat injury and serving as a non-radiatlng shield to accelerate the lateral ignition of the fuel bed.

18. In a hopper, a side standard apertured to permit `the insertion of ak tool therethrough into the hopper chamber. together with a seal on the outer face of the standard to prevent the flow of fuel through said aperture.

19. In a hopper, side standards therefor, a feed plate extending between the standards and inclined downwardly toward the furnace grate and comb-ustion chamber, and members adjacent the standards at opposlte ends of the feed plate apertured to permit the introduction of a tool therethrough into the fire chamber to remove .clinkers from the side walls of the latter.

20. In a hopper, side standards therefor, a feed plate extending between the standards and inclined downwardly toward the furnace grate and combustion chamber, and members adjacent the standards at opposite ends of the feed plate apertured to permit the introduction of a tool therethrough into the fire chamber to remove clinkers from the side walls of the latter, together' with a removable plug for said aperture.

42l. In a feed hopper, a standard at the side thereof, a laterally and inwardly projecting member secured to the lower portion thereof and having 'an inclined face over which a portion of the fuel passes from the hopper to the furnace chamber, and a passageway formed in said member and open` ing to the furnace chamber to permit the insertion of a tool therethrough into the clinker region at the Side of the lire box.

22. In a hopper, a pair of side standards, a pivoted feed plate over which a portion of the fuel passes from the hopper to the furnace chamber, box-like members secured to the standards and having inclined faces forming substantially a continuation of the pivoted feed plate, and passageways through said box-like members opening to the furnace chamber to permit the insertion there through of a tool into the lire chamber.

23. In a hopper, a pair of side standards, a hopper body supported thereby, poke hole apertures in the side standards opening to the hopper chamber, and external cups at said poke holes serving to prevent the escape of fuel through the poke holes during the passage thereof through the hopper.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisl specification.

' WILLIAM LLOYD. 

